Protected Area Visitor Data Collection and Management: Emerging Issues and Gaps in Current Australian Practices

Darcy, SA; Griffin, T; Craig, M; Moore, S; Crilley, G

Protected Area Visitor Data Collection and Management: Emerging Issues and Gaps in Current Australian Practices

Darcy, SA

Griffin, T Craig, M Moore, S Crilley, G

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Publisher:: University of Technology, Sydney
Publication Type:: Conference Proceeding
Citation:: CAUTHE: Proceedings of the 17th Annual Conference, 2007, pp. 1 - 14
Issue Date:: 2007-01

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Darcy, SA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5394-2566	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Griffin, T	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Craig, M	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Moore, S	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Crilley, G	en_US
dc.contributor.editor	McDonnell, I	en_US
dc.contributor.editor	Grabowski, S	en_US
dc.contributor.editor	March, R	en_US
dc.date	2007-02-11	en_US
dc.date.issued	2007-01	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	CAUTHE: Proceedings of the 17th Annual Conference, 2007, pp. 1 - 14	en_US
dc.identifier.isbn	978-0-646-46998-0	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/2547
dc.description.abstract	Protected area agencies are charged with the preservation, conservation and management of areas including wilderness, national parks and forests. These agencies are faced with increasing visitor numbers and decreasing budgets at a time where activities like tourism have to be managed alongside their traditional roles as natural resource managers. This paper reports on the outcomes of the first stage of a research project that seeks to guide a nationally consistent approach to visitor use data collection for protected area agencies. First, the paper provides a background literature review of approaches to visitor use data collection for protected area agencies. Second, the paper outlines the participatory action research approach used in the study where thirteen protected area agencies are collaborators in the research process. This approach ensures that the protected areas agencies data needs are central to the research outcomes and recognises the pragmatic organisational cultural issues associated with visitor data collection, management and use. The research process incorporates organisational networking at all levels from head office, regions, branches and individual parks involving management information systems, interviews, focus groups, presentations, briefings and follow-up contact. Third, the paper then presents the emergent themes that examine the issues and gaps in current visitor data collection, management and use systems. The paper concludes with discussion of the challenges to developing a national system of visitor data collection and use.	en_US
dc.publisher	University of Technology, Sydney	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	CAUTHE: Proceedings of the 17th Annual Conference	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Council for Australian University Tourism and Hospitality Education annual conference	en_US
dc.title	Protected Area Visitor Data Collection and Management: Emerging Issues and Gaps in Current Australian Practices	en_US
dc.type	Conference Proceeding
utslib.location	Lindfield	en_US
utslib.location.activity	Manly, NSW Australia	en_US
utslib.for	150603 Tourism Management	en_US
utslib.for	150404 Sport and Leisure Management	en_US
utslib.for	1503 Business and Management	en_US
dc.location.activity	Manly, NSW Australia	en_US
dc.location.activity	Sydney, Australia
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/e-Press
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Business/Management Discipline
utslib.copyright.status	open_access
pubs.consider-herdc	true	en_US
pubs.place-of-publication	Lindfield	en_US
pubs.start-date	2007-02-11	en_US

Abstract:

Protected area agencies are charged with the preservation, conservation and management of areas including wilderness, national parks and forests. These agencies are faced with increasing visitor numbers and decreasing budgets at a time where activities like tourism have to be managed alongside their traditional roles as natural resource managers. This paper reports on the outcomes of the first stage of a research project that seeks to guide a nationally consistent approach to visitor use data collection for protected area agencies. First, the paper provides a background literature review of approaches to visitor use data collection for protected area agencies. Second, the paper outlines the participatory action research approach used in the study where thirteen protected area agencies are collaborators in the research process. This approach ensures that the protected areas agencies data needs are central to the research outcomes and recognises the pragmatic organisational cultural issues associated with visitor data collection, management and use. The research process incorporates organisational networking at all levels from head office, regions, branches and individual parks involving management information systems, interviews, focus groups, presentations, briefings and follow-up contact. Third, the paper then presents the emergent themes that examine the issues and gaps in current visitor data collection, management and use systems. The paper concludes with discussion of the challenges to developing a national system of visitor data collection and use.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/2547